Liquid dispensing system



March 26, 1940- A. e. WHELER ET AL LIQUID DISPENSING SYSTEM NVENTORS 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 6, 1938 Patented Mar. 26, 1940 stares rarest orrice LIQUID DISPENSING SYSTEM Application September s, 1938, Serial No. 228,555

2 Claims.

and. the like, without danger of damage or loss resulting from unskilled or improper operation.

It further has for its object a system which is hydraulically operated with means for holding water pressure fails, especially while the cleansing fluid is standingin the dispensing coils for a long period, as over night, while no one is in attendance.

It further has for its object a system in which there is no mixing of the beer and cleansing fluid or contaminating of the beer, if the operator or bar-tender should operate the cleansing fluid valve immediately after the operation of the valve which controls the operation of cutting on and ofi the beer from the coils or if the operator should open the cleansing valve before operating the control valve for the beer.

The invention consists in the combinations and constructions and novel features hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the 35 views. i

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View of a dispensing system embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the retarding valve in the cleansing fluid system.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the control valve.

Figure 4 is a sectional view on line 4l l, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an elevation of the two-way valve on the tap rods for controlling the flow of beer from the barrels.

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 6-45, Figure 5.

The system is applicable for one or more reservoirs or barrels and that here shown is for four barrels of liquid or beer to be dispensed.

l designates the barrels which are usually located in the basement under the bar room. 2 is the so-called tap rod; 3 the conduits including coils l between the tap rods and the dispensing faucets 5, the coils and faucets 5 being located the system in its operated position, in case the on or adjacent the floor 6 of the bar room above the basement.

The invention consists of a hydraulicallyoperated two-way valve in the conduit or between the reservoir or barrel and the dispensing faucet and near the reservoir or barrel and operable into two positions, into first position to open the conduit through the coil to the faucet, to the flow of beer from the barrel, and into second position to cut on" the flow of the liquid or beer from the barrel, a water pressure system for operating said valve including branch conduits, hydraulicallyoperated motors in the branches for operating the two-way valve from either position to the other, and a control valve connected in the Water pressure system operable into first position to open one branch to the flow of water to the motor in that branch and. to open the other branch to the outflow or discharge of water therein, and into a second position to effect the flow of water through the second branch through the motor therein, and open the second branch to the outflow or discharge of water, a cleansing fluid conduit connected to the two-way valve to be closed thereby when the two-way valve is in its first position and opened when the two-way valve is in. its second position, and a control valve in the cleansing fluid conduit.

The invention further includes means for retarding the flow of the cleansing fluid through its conduit for a predeterminedtime, in order that the two-way valve may have time to move from first to second position in case the cleansing fluid control valve is operated too soon after the control valve in the hydraulic system is operated, or in case the cleaning fluid control valve is operated prior to the operation of the control valve in the hydraulic system, this being a precaution against the mixing of the water with the beer.

The invention further consists in means for holding the two-way valve in its operated position, in case the water pressure fails in the hydraulic system, especially when the two-way valve is in second position, that is, the position assumed when the beer is off or held in the barrel. There is a two-Way valve for each conduit 3,

this valve being located adjacent the barrel l normally cut off by the two-way valve when in first position, these valves being hydraulically operated through branch pipes, and a control valve operable into one position to permit the flow of water under pressure, to one branch pipe to operate the two-way valve in one direction or from first to second position, and into another position to permit the Water to flow through the other pipe to operate the valve from second to first position, and when in Second position, opening the two-way Valve, and hence the conduit 3 and coil 4 to the flow of the cleansing fluid. It will be understood that the beer is returned from the coils to the barrel in any suitable manner prior to the cleansing operation or prior to the operation of the two-way valve into second position to cut off the flow of beer from the barrel to the conduit 3.

The cleansing conduit is connected in the water system and also has a control valve therein. Preferably, additional means, as a precaution against the mixture of beer and Water, is provided, this means consisting of a retarding valve for retarding the flow of cleansing fluid after the cleansing fluid control valve is opened until a predetermined time elapses, and also holding the cleansing fluid conduit closed in the event the control valve in the hydraulic system has not been operated.

1 designates the two-way valve, this including an outer body 8 formed with piston chambers 9, H3 at its opposite ends and with intermediate transfer chambers H, H The transfer chambers i l l I are separated by a hollow partition l3 therein communicating with a nipple 12 to which each pipe 3 is coupled and communicating through ports l4 and IS with the inner ends of the transfer chambers ll, H respectively. The valve further includes a movable member including valve heads l6 and IT in the transfer chambers H and H and coacting respectively with valve seats l8 and I9 on the hollow partition, the valve heads being connected together by a rod 20. The valve heads are connected to pistons 2!, 22 in the piston chambers 9 and I0 re spectively by rods l8 and w The chamber I I is provided with a nipple 23 for connection to the tap rod 2 and the chamber II with a nipple 24 for connection to the cleansing fluid conduit or.a branch thereof. Each of the piston chambers 9, I0 is provided with a coupling 25 for connection in the hydraulic system. The pistons and piston chambers are hydraulically-operated motors.

The piston chambers 9, II] are connected by a by-pass 23 so that movement of one piston under the pressure of the hydraulic fluid toward the inner end of its chamber 9 or Ill forces any water that. has accumulated in advance of the piston through the by-pass 26 into the other piston chamber in which the piston is receding, past the cup-shaped piston packing of the receding piston. It is thought that this by-pass 2G merely becomes loaded with water, and thereafter prevents additional accumulation of water, regardless of whether or not there is any excess water to be pushed by the cup-shaped piston packing of the receding piston.

, The hydraulic system consists of branch water pipes 2'! and 28 connected respectively through conduits 29 and 33 to the piston chambers 9 and I0 respectively of each twoway valve 1, a control valve 3| connecting the branches 2'! and 28 in a feed pipe 32 and a check valve 33. The control valve 3! is operable from first or sopassage 42.

with a by-pass or exhaust passage 45 which comcalled beer on position to second or beer off position.

In Figure 3, the control valve is shown as in beer off or second position. However, in Figure 1, the handle of the control valve is in its position occupied when in beer on position. The control valve 3|, as seen in Figure 3, comprises a suitable casing 34 and a movable or rotary member 35 in the casing having a handle, 36. The casing is formed with nipples 3'! and 38 for connection to the branch pipes 27 and 28 respectively and with the nipple 39 for connection to a pipe 46 in which is located the check valve 33 which is connected to the feed pipe 32 through a pipe 32. The pipe 32 is connected to the city water pressure in the building at any convenient point. It is shown here as connected to the water line feeding the water faucet 5 A shut off valve 39 is inserted so that the water supply to the system can be shut off for repairs without interfering with the customers water faucet 5.

The rotary valve member 35 is provided with a passage fill extending transversely therethrough, and during rotation of the valve member 35, this passage All can be brought into alinement with diametrically opposite passages 4|, 42 in the valve casing, communicating with the nipples 3'1, 33 respectively, or into a position in which the passage 4|] is alined with the passage 1 G3, and a passage 44 communicating respectively with the nipple 38 and the nipple 39, the passage 43 communicating with the nipple 39 for the The valve casing is also provided municates through a coupling 46 with a discharge or outlet pipe 47 (Figure 1). The movable valve member 35 is provided with a transfer passage 48 arranged to connect either the passage 4! with the discharge passage 45 or the passage 43 with the discharge passage 45 in accordance with the position of the valve member 35 in first or beer on or second or beer off position. The valve member 35 is, as seen in Figure 4, tapered or conical and is thrust in complementally tapered bore of the casing by a spring 50 interposed between one end of the rotary valve member 35 and a plug 5| threading into the casing 34 axially with the rotary valve member 35. The rotary valve member 35 is provided with an axial shank 52 on which the handle 36 is mounted.

When the two-way valve 1 is in first or beer on position, the by-pass 45 connects the passage 4! with the outlet nipple 45 permitting water from the branch 21 to discharge or exhaust therefrom. When the valve 1 is moved to beer off" position, the valve member 35 occupies the position shown in Figure 3, in which the by-pass 45 connects the passage 43 with the discharge coupling 46 permitting the water to exhaust from the pipe 28 while the pressure is passing through the pipe 21 and actuating the two-way valve 7 into second position, or the position shown in Figure 5.

The check valve 33 may be of any suitable form, size and construction, and-is for the purpose of holding the pressure in the pipe 27 or 28 in accordance with the position of the control valve 3! in case the water pressure through the feed pipe 32 drops or fails. water pressure drops during the night due to the fact that the water is stored in reservoirs.

53 designates the cleansing fluid conduit, this being connected to the water pipe 32 or in the pipe 32 through a control valve 54 and coupling In some cities, the

55'. The control valve 54 is an ordinary'one-way or" shut-01f cock and is provided with a suitable handle 56. The two control valves 3! and 54 are located on the bar or adjacent the bar andadjacent each other. The cleansing fluid conduit also includes a manifold consisting of a pipe or header 5! having a tank'58 therein for chemicals, and branches 59 leading from the header 5'! to each of the valves 1 or the nipples .Z t thereof. Means is providedin the cleansing fluid conduit 53 for retarding the flow of cleansing fluidtherein for a predetermined time after the control valve 5c is opened and preventing the flow of cleansing fluid to the two-way valve l until the beer control valve 3i has i been operated to beer off position. i

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention, a pressure reducing valve 58 is connected in the cleansing fluid conduit 53 and the header 51,

or the tank 58 therein, for the purpose of reducing the city water pressure, so that no undue strain is placed on'the block tin coils. Also, a retarding valve 5! is here shown as connected between the pressure reducing valve filland the header 51 or the tank 58. The retarding valve BI- is the slow moving valve shown in Figm'e 2 which: prevents opening of the header 5'! or the tank 58 to the'reception of the cleansing fluid from the conduit 53 until after the beer control valve 3| has been operatedto second or beer off position. This is for the purpose of avoiding contamination of the beer by cleansing fluid, in

i necessary.

The retarding valve 6!, as seen in Figure 2, comprises a tubular casing 62 having a nipple 53 between its ends which communicates through the pipe 53 with the tank 58. It is provided with a coupling 54 at one end coupled to the output end of the pressure reducing valve 50 and with an outlet coupling 65 at its other end having a small outlet or bleeder passage 55 communicating with the nipple 6'! which'in turn communicates with a bleeder pipe 68 which communicates at 69 with the branch 28 of the hydraulic system, this being the branch that is discharging when the two-way valve 1 is operated or being operated into second position, that is, beer off position, or in a position shown in Figure 5.

The retarding valve also includes a movable piston or plunger 10 movable in a tubular barrel H located in the casing 62, the barrel H having an annular series of outlet passages r perforations 12 alined with the nipple 63 and with an annular chamber 13 formed in the casing 62 around the barrel H. The plunger 62 has piston heads or packings l4. and H at its opposite ends which coact with valve seats at 16 and H on the couplings 65 and 65 respectively.

When the cleansing fluid control valve 54 is operated to on position, the water passes through the pipe 53 through the coupling 65 against the end of the piston TI] and forces the piston or' plunger to the left, but due to the small bleeder passage 55 and conduit 68, its movement to the left is retarded, it being understood that the branch pipe 28 has water therein, which discharges through the outlet pipe 4'! from the beer control valve 3|. Hence, the plunger or piston 10 moves apparently slow to the left and when it uncovers the perforations or outlets 12 in the barrel 1!, the cleansing fluid is then free to flow through the passage 53 to the chemical tank 58, header 5?, pipes 59, two-way valve 1, which is now in the position shown in Figure 5, up through the pipes 3 and coils 4 to the faucets 5, providing it be necessary to open the faucets until the cfeansing fluid has filled the coils. In case the control valve 3| has not been turned to beer off position, the plunger 1'0 is in closed position (Figure 2) and is "held from opening movement because the pipe 28 is under pressure and not open to thelexhaust of water therefrom.

Before the cleansing operation, the beer is returned to the barrel in any suitable manner, and is here shown as returned by air pressure through an air supply pipe 18 (Figure 1) having a suitable valve l5 therein, this being connected to the coils 4 adjacent the faucet. By opening the valve 19, air pressure from the pipe 18, which is greater than the pressure in the barrel I, while a the two-way valve '7 is in first or beer on position, forces the beer into the coils 4 and pipes 3 back into the barrel. The air conduit 18 has branches, as 86, each branch communicating with two coils 6 through a check valve, as 8|, this being a double check valve, and operates to prevent beer leaking from one coil 4 to another,

when the bar is being operated normally.

The check valves 8! are preferably what are known commercially as Thomas valves. As an additional precaution, a check valve 82 is interposed botween the check valve 8| or the coupling 59 and the air pipe '58. v

The beerin the barrels is kept under a predetermined pressure in the usual manner through pipes 83 connected to the pressure pump forming part of the bar equipment. 1

In operation, with the control valve 3| in first or beer on position, and hence the two-way valve 1 in first or beer on position, the valve '19 in the air conduit is opened to permit the air pressure to force the beer in the coils 4 and pipes 3 back into the barrel. When the beer has been returned to the barrel, the air valve I9 is closed. Then the control valve 3! is moved from first position to second position, or from beer on pci sition to beer off position. This operation opens the pipe 21 to the flow of water and opens the pipe 28 to the discharge of water through the bywater passing through the pipe 21 passes through the branch 29 to the pistonchambers 9 at the left hand end of the two-way valves T operating the movable members of the two-way valves into the position shown in Figure 6, thus cutting off the flow of beer from the tap rods 2 and opening the pipes 3. In the normal operation, the cleansing fluid control valve 54 is then opened, permitting cleansing fluid to pass through the pipe 53, chemical tank 58 and header 51 into the pipes 59 into the two-way valve, through the nipple 24, thence through the port l4, nipple l2 and up into pipes 3 and coils 4, the faucets 5 being left open to permit this flow. During the flow of cleansing fluid through the pipe 53, its flow is being retarded either by the pressure reducing valve fill or the retarding valve 6| or both, providing a time element within which to let the two-way valve I assume its position shown in Figure 5, in case of a quick successive operation of the control valves 3| and 54, or in case the valve 54 pass of the valve 3| and drain pipe. The

is operated in advance of the beer control valve 3!, the flow of cleansing fluid through the pipe 54 is prevented by the retarding valve which is locked closed because the water can not pass through the bleeder passage 66 for the reason that the full hydraulic pressure is in the conduit 28.

The pipes and coils may be flushed out quickly I or the water allowed to stand in them over night.

At the end of the cleansing operation, the faucets 5 are opened, permitting Water to flush through the pipes 3 and coils 4; then the cleansing fluid control valve 54 closed and the beer control valve 3| moved into first or beer on position, and the dispensing faucets 5 opened until beer commences to run, the beer forcing the water or fluid in the 'in the conduit adjacent the reservoir and operable into first position to open the conduit to the flow of liquid from the reservoir and into second position to cut off the flow of liquid from the reservoir, a water pressure system for operating said valve including branch conduits, motors in the branch conduits for operating the two-way valve from either position to the other, and a control valve operable into first position to open one branch to the flow of water to the motor therein and open the other branch to the outflow of water and into second position to effect the flow of Water through the second of said branches, and open the first branch to the outflow of water, a cleansing fluid conduit connected to the twoway valve to be closedthereby when the two-way valve is in first position, and opened When in sec- 0nd position, a control valve in the cleansing fluid conduit, and a retarding valve in the cleansing fluid conduit including a normally-closed member operable by the pressure in the cleansing fluid conduit to open position, and a bleeder passage connecting said valve to the branch conduit which is open to the discharge of water when the two-way valve is in second position.

2. In a liquid dispensing system, the combination with a reservoir for a liquid under pressure to be dispensed, a discharge faucet, a conduit between the reservoir and the faucet, and means for returning the liquid in the conduit to the reservoir; of a hydraulically-operated two-way valve in the conduit adjacent the reservoir and operable into first position to open the conduit to the flow of liquid from the reservoir and into second position to cut ofi" the flow of liquid from the reservoir, a water pressure system for operating said valve including branch conduits, m0- tors in the branches for operating the two-way valve from either position to the other, and a control valve connected in a water pressure system operable into first position to open one branch to the flow of Water to the motor therein and open the other branch to the outflow of water therein, and into second position to effect the flow of water through the second branch to the motor therein and open the first branch to the outflow of the water therein, a cleansing fluid conduit connected to the two-way valve to be closed thereby When the two-way valve is in first position, and opened when in second position, a control valve in the cleansing fluid conduit, and a check valve in the hydraulic system in advance of the control valve in the hydraulic system for holding the pressure in the hydraulic system in the event the Water pressure fails.

ARTHUR GORDON WI-IELER. MARTIN J. ROZNOWS'KI. 

